Devices for applying mascara are known which comprise a receptacle containing a supply of the makeup and fitted with a wiper member, and an applicator provided at one end with a handle element and at its other end with an applicator element, the handle element and the applicator element being united by a link element, the applicator element being withdrawn from the receptacle through the wiper member.
In particular, devices are known in which the applicator element is constituted by a twisted wire brush type of brush, i.e. a brush whose bristles are held between the turns of a core that is made up of at least two wires twisted together.
The brush is fixed to the end of a rod secured to a handle element that also constitutes a cap for closing the receptacle.
Such devices make it possible to apply makeup properly, however the orientation of the bristles relative to the axis of the applicator does not enable the eyelashes to be coated in makeup, to be smoothed, to be separated, or to be curved in a manner that is entirely satisfactory.
Thus, French patent application FR-A-2 738 127 proposes an applicator whose applicator element is constituted by a flat brush.
That brush comprises a series of bristles implanted in the end of the handle of the applicator and lying substantially on the axis thereof.
Compared with the above-mentioned applicators that include a twisted wire brush type of brush, that type of applicator presents the advantage of using bristles that are longer so that making-up can be performed more quickly and also providing satisfactory results concerning separation and curving of the eyelashes.
In particular, the applicator makes it possible to smooth the eyelashes over their entire length, from the base to the tip, by using a simple movement with the bristles of the applicator extending tangentially relative to the eyelashes.
Nevertheless, it is more difficult to install the bristles on the handle of that type of applicator than it is when making a twisted wire brush type of brush.
In particular, when the bristles are implanted in tufts on the handle and are clamped thereto, they tend to splay apart from the axis of the handle, so that method of fixing the bristles does not enable them to be oriented accurately or with a distribution that is as uniform as desired.